Let No Good Time Slip Away

August 15, 2021

Let No Good Time Slip Away

Being back in Indianapolis again this year allowed me to get out and explore and do some things that have been infrequent at best over the past eighteen months which included spending some time with my sister Michele and a few select friends. Even though I was being cautious to try and limit any possible exposure to Covid, I knew that being fully vaccinated and wearing a mask and trying not to put myself in obvious reckless situations, I could feel pretty good about resuming some activities.

One of the things that I have really missed the most was attending concerts, live music is one of the things that I enjoy most in the world and of course being in Indianapolis, I made sure to check out who was playing during the time that I was there. A band that I really like a lot and had seen only once preciously, some years ago at Folks Fest in Colorado was playing at one of my all-time favorite venues.

I have been attending shows at the Vogue Theatre in Indianapolis since I was in high school and used to use my sister Michele’s boyfriend’s ID to get into over 21 shows. Even before that I recall going to movies when the place was in its original form as a movie house, I saw my first ever R-rated movie there when my mother accidentally took me at age 8 to see the James Bond film, “Diamonds are Forever”. 

Now a band that I really liked, The Lone Bellow, was going to be playing there and I managed to score VIP tickets which enabled me to attend a special acoustic pre-show set at the venue with about 15 others. I love this kind of thing and try to do it whenever possible. The pre-show set was cool, relaxed and like having an intimate private performance of four songs including a beautiful cover of Paul Simon’s “Slip, Sliding Away”.

The main show was just as awesome, it whetted my appetite for even more live music. I got another chance, purely by chance at the Indiana State Fair when I once again visited. Normally I have an inherent bias against anything that could be described in any sense as “Christian Rock”, It always seems so sanctimonious and preachy. But I was at the fair and I could hear music coming from the free stage so I wondered over. A band by the name of For King and Country was on the stage and they had a massive stage set-up and a packed crowd just like some of the biggest names in music.

Considering myself somewhat up on the music scene, I could not believe that I was totally unfamiliar with what was so obviously a well-established act, one that looked and sounded pretty good. At first I thought they might be a country act that escaped my notice and even after watching a majority of their set, I had no idea that they were a Christian band, which is a good thing to be as their lyrics were upbeat but not preachy and their performance was pretty much pop rock like.

In fact, I thought they were pretty damn good. I am not ready to tune all my radios to Christian music stations or make a crazy spotify list or anything, but it just goes to show that one should have an open mind when dealing with music or just about anything else. I realized that I had an inherent bias and closed-minded attitude so much that if I had known in advance that they were considered Christian Rock, there is no way I would have stopped to watch. 

It always good to be at the state fair and this time I was there for the evening hours, crossing over from the daylight events and activities to the totally different, but equally enthralling nighttime. It is a different world at the fair after dark, the midway takes center stage and the sounds and lights seem to be amplified and there is a totally different energy. I love both day and night and I always try to visit at least once during both times. 

https://www.thelonebellow.com/

https://www.forkingandcountry.com/

 

Indiana State Fair

August 14, 2021

Indiana State Fair

One of my absolute favorite events just happened to be taking place in Indianapolis while I was there and so it was with great anticipation that I drove over to Indianapolis from Cincinnati, knowing that I would be attending the Indiana State Fair when I arrived. In fact, I would be making multiple visits to the fair while I was in Indianapolis, even though technically I was on hand to attend the Indy Car/ NASCAR weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

My love of the state fair is ingrained into the soul of my being as I have attended regularly since I was a small child. The Fairgrounds was just over a mile from the home I grew up in and often during August when the fair was going on, my friends and I would walk, or ride bikes over to go to the fair usually multiple times during the run that the fair was open.

I love everything about it, the farm animals, livestock shows, the coming together of rural and urban populations, the midway, the lights and colors everywhere, the tractor pulls and dog shows, the demolition derby and horse racing, the old timey farm village with vintage farm implements and folksy music, even the countless tacky booths trying to sell everything from hot tubs to massage chairs.

But most of all, I love the food. The traditional favorites like corn dogs, fresh squeezed lemonade, tenderloins, ears of corn, elephant ears, saltwater taffy and more to the weird items like fried oreos, donut burgers and more. There is always a selection of weird foods, which are neither good for you or very appetizing. 

The first Indiana State Fair was held in downtown Indianapolis in what is now known as Military Park in 1852, in 1892 the fair was moved to its present location at the fairgrounds on East 38^th Street and is held each year in August. The fairgrounds features a one-mile dirt track and large grandstands, the Farmer’s Coliseum which seats 6,500 and is used for concerts, car shows, and livestock competitions and sales. It was once the home of the Indiana Pacers back when they were in the ABA.

Concerts are also held at the free stage located in the northwest corner of the property and this year I was able to see a few concerts there including Vince Neil, the former lead singer of Motley Crue. I had just happened to meet Neil the week before in the pits of the Indy Car race in Nashville and now here I was watching his show at the fair.

All I can say is that I am glad it was at the free stage as it was certainly not one of the better performances I have ever seen. He is out of shape and his voice is pretty much shot, making the lyrics almost impossible to understand. People seemed to enjoy it in spite of the poor quality, but it very much reminded me of when I saw Van Halen about 5 years ago and David Lee Roth was just about the same level of horrible.

Even a crappy concert could not dampen my enthusiasm for the fair, I had a great time each time I visited and am so glad that I happened to be in Indianapolis to attend the fair. I hope that I am able to come back next year once again.

https://www.indianastatefair.com/